


i'm lovin' it (and you)

by clicheusername5678



Series: Catradora Oneshots [19]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Childhood Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, McDonald's AU, Modern AU, Secret Relationship, lactose intolerant catra, light angst? more like hurt/comfort, major catradora, minor glimbow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:01:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25167373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clicheusername5678/pseuds/clicheusername5678
Summary: McDonald's AU. Catra and Adora make out in the plastic playplace and discuss the future of their relationship.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Catradora Oneshots [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1264781
Comments: 11
Kudos: 344





	i'm lovin' it (and you)

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was requested by @summamitt on twitter in support of the los angeles bail project. the mcdonald's au was created by @quackelroys on twitter, please check out their awesome art!

“ _Moooom_ ,” whines the small boy, tugging at a seated woman’s sleeve. 

Frowning, the woman looks down at her son. “Go play,” she says, returning to her fries.

“But I can’t!” the boy exclaims. “They won’t let me in!”

“What? Who?”

“These two girls, they won’t let anyone else use the playplace.”

The woman scowls and rises to her feet. She just wants to enjoy one calm meal, is that really so much to ask? Her kid follows as she approaches the multicolored playplace, a plastic structure with kid-sized tubes, plastic windows, and a massive slide. It takes her a second, but the woman spots two young girls seated at the very top of the structure, sharing a large milkshake despite the rule against food in the playplace.

“ _They’re_ the ones keeping you out?” the woman exclaims. “They can’t be older than six. Where are their parents?”

One of the girls, a dark-skinned brunette, notices their audience. She sticks out her tongue. The blonde beside her laughs, giving the brunette an opportunity to seize the milkshake from her hands. The blonde tackles her friend, still laughing, and the milkshake spills all around them, obscuring the bubble window.

“Excuse me?” the woman says to a passing employee. “Those two girls are breaking the rules, and they’ve made a mess in the playplace.”

The exhausted teenager looks from the woman, to the playplace, to the woman again. “I’ll get a mop,” they groan, heading back towards the counter.

The boy cocks his head, waiting for the two girls to exit the playplace. The blonde tumbles down the slide, while the brunette jumps from a dangerous height, landing cleanly on her feet. The boy realizes that she’s somewhat feline, with fluffy ears and a tail.

“Hey!” the boy calls to them both. He wants to taunt them, but cleverness has never been his strongest suit. “You’re dumb!”

The brunette scowls and the blonde reflexively holds her back.

“Where are your parents?” the woman asks the girls incredulously.

“Uh, you know,” the blonde stammers, “there.”

She points in the direction of several tables, each occupied by families. Before the woman can call them on the obvious lie, they’ve both disappeared.

The woman looks to her son, slightly worried about the girls’ safety. “Where did they go?”

He shrugs. The employee returns with a mop, rolling his eyes as he climbs into the structure.

Beneath a nearby table, Adora and Catra stifle their laughter.

“Who’s dumb now?” Catra taunts in the boy’s direction.

Adora eats a fry off the floor and Catra licks spilled milkshake off her own shirt. The irony is lost on them both.

**THIRTEEN YEARS LATER**

It’s kind of sad for Adora to admit, but this McDonald’s restaurant feels like her real home. She grew up here, started working behind the counter as soon as she could. Most of her friends are employed at McDonald’s, too—Etheria isn’t a huge town, and high school jobs are pretty limited. Besides, working with people you like can make a crappy job somewhat tolerable.

“Hey there,” Adora greets the customer across the counter. A mom with two kids barely tall enough to be visible. “What can I get you today?”

“Two Happy Meals,” the mom says, glancing down at her children. “Burger and 4-piece nuggets.”

“Okay,” Adora says, entering the items, “and for you?”

“Just a Diet Coke. Large.”

“Gotcha. That’ll be eight dollars and thirteen cents.”

Adora gives the woman her order number as the card reader completes the transaction. She smiles as the family shuffles out of line. “Have a great day!”

The mom nods tiredly as her kids sprint to the condiments station, reminding Adora of… well, herself. A long time ago.

“Hi,” she says, turning back to the next customer in line.

“Hey, Adora,” says an annoyingly familiar voice, coming from an annoyingly familiar girl. Catra stands across the counter, wearing a leather jacket and a shit-eating grin. “How’s it hanging?”

Adora rolls her eyes despite the urge to blush. “I was wondering when you were gonna show up.”

“Are Sparkles and Bob working today?”

“Why do you care?”

Catra smirks, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “ _They_ don’t get my orders wrong.”

Adora releases an exasperate groan. “Catra, you’re, like, dangerously lactose intolerant. I’m not giving you a goddamn cheeseburger.”

“The customer is always right, remember?”

“Normally yes,” Adora says, already entering Catra’s usual order (minus the cheese). So what if it’s memorized? They’ve been eating here since they were kids. She looks back up at Catra, mock-sweetness in her eyes. “But _you’re_ my only exception.”

Catra scowls, betrayed by her own blushing. “One of these days I’m gonna tell your manager,” she threatens, entering her rainbow credit card in the machine.

Adora snorts. “Go ahead. She won’t care. Do you want your order number?”

“Nah,” Catra grins, “I’ll just look for the tray with hearts drawn in ketchup.”

“I haven’t done that since we were eight!” Adora calls as Catra walks away. She takes a deep breath and regains her composure, a skill anyone in food service eventually masters.

“Hi there,” she greets the next customer, “how’s it hanging?”

* * *

Glimmer and Bow dominate the drive-through. Between Bow’s clear voice and easygoing nature and Glimmer’s manic leadership, they’ve earned a year’s worth of Employee of the Month certificates. Not that Mermista puts much thought into the awards—it’s probably outsourced to her unemployed but ever-present boyfriend, Sea Hawk.

They pair exchange a quick high-five, having just served a minivan full of soccer kids and one exhausted dad. “Break time,” Glimmer tells Bow, who watches the drive-through camera out of the corner of his eye.

“Shouldn’t we wait for…?”

“Hey, guys!” greets Scorpia, another drive-through expert. She takes Bow’s place, while Kyle replaces Glimmer by default. Glimmer knows it’ll be a shit show, but nothing messes with her lunch break.

They remove their aprons and peek out of the kitchen, trying to find Adora at the counter. She has a habit of losing track of time, so it’s become Glimmer and Bow’s habit to remind her.

But today Adora’s just gone. Not at the counter, not in the breakroom, not in the kitchen.

“Maybe she’s cleaning?” Bow suggests, shrugging.

Glimmer rolls her eyes.

“She just can’t pull herself away, huh?”

They traverse the floor and the bathrooms, but still can’t find their friend. Their next stop is the manager’s office, where Mermista sits on a broken office chair, her legs elevated on the desk. Sea Hawk perches beside her as always.

“Ughhh, what now?” Mermista says, not even bothering to rise. “Just make Kyle deal with it.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Glimmer answers. “We’re just looking for Adora. It’s our break, but we can’t find her anywhere.”

“She hasn’t come in here. Sea Hawk, have you seen her around? Blonde chick, kinda buff?”

Sea Hawk shakes his head. Glimmer realizes that he’s wearing Airpods.

“Okay, well, thanks,” she sighs, ushering Bow away and shutting the door behind them.

“Maybe she’s just in her car,” Bow suggests lightly. “Taking a phone call or something.”

Glimmer feels her stomach rumble and nods. “Yeah. Definitely.”

“So… lunch? You and me?”

Glimmer’s bright smile serves as an answer.

* * *

“Don’t your friends wonder where you’ve gone,” Catra asks with a mouth full of hamburger, “during lunch breaks?”

Adora shrugs, passing the other girl a napkin. “I come up with excuses. Honestly, it’s kind of fun. I like our secret little dates.”

“Dates?” Catra asks, amused. “What, are you, like, a lesbian or something?”

“Takes one to know one,” Adora says, taking a sip from their shared soda. Catra just stares. “What, no comeback?”

“You’ve got some ketchup on your face, idiot,” Catra smirks, leaning in close. The soft pad of her finger swipes the condiment away and her hand slowly cups Adora’s face.

Then they’re making out, in the McDonald’s playplace, which has been closed to the public for years because of safety hazards.

No offense, Bow and Glimmer, but this is how Adora prefers to spend her lunch breaks. She’s not too guilty for thinking it, since they probably like having their own alone time to mess around.

Adora straightens her posture in an attempt to take Catra in her arms. Her head hits the plastic ceiling and Catra bursts out laughing.

“Do that enough and you’ll get brain damage,” she teases, pulling Adora down to kiss her again.

“If we did this somewhere with normal ceilings we wouldn’t have this problem.”

Adora immediately knows she screwed up when Catra turns away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“We do this secretly for a reason,” Catra says. “We both agreed it’s better for everyone that we keep… this thing… quiet. I don’t want Shadow Weaver to have anything to do with you, even though I’m a legal adult now, and I know your friends don’t like me.”

“She’s not your family, Catra,” Adora responds. “She was a shitty foster mom who left you at a McDonald’s for hours while she got day-drunk on boxed wine.”

“Yeah, well, she’s all I have.”

Adora frowns and cups Catra’s face, echoing the other girl’s earlier advance. “You have me, stupid,” she says tenderly. “My friends would love you, if you just gave them a chance. And you know how much Mara and Razz want to see you, it’s been years.”

Catra smirks. “Do you really think they like me, even though you spent most of your childhood begging them to drop you off at a fast-food restaurant?”

“Yes,” Adora says plainly. “You made me happy then, and you make me happy now. I know that hiding has been… kind of fun… but I want to _share_ this with the other people in my life. I want you, always.”

“Adora—”

“But I would never tell anyone unless you changed your mind,” the blonde rambles, “and I understand why it makes you uncomfortable. I’m being selfish. I’ll stop pushing it.”

Catra meets Adora’s eyes, slowly sliding her hands down her girlfriend’s shaking shoulders. Clearly this has been upsetting Adora for while.

“You aren’t selfish,” Catra tells her. “You deserve all the happiness and love in the world. And I want to give it to you, but… well, you know me. I’m not exactly a social butterfly.”

“We can take it slow,” Adora suggests. “We won’t go straight to the fancy dinner with my moms.”

Catra smirks. “Fancy dinner? Can’t we just eat here?”

“I’m pretty sure Razz would faint if she saw what our menu calls a pie, so that’s a no.”

“That’s fair.” 

Silence fills the space between them, their smiles soft and genuine. Relieved.

“Are you gonna eat that?” Adora asks, breaking the silence. Catra glances down at the final fry on their tray, its phantom taste on her tongue.

They both know how this will end. Catra and Adora are ridiculously competitive and they _love_ to roughhouse.

In the same second, Adora swipes up the fry and Catra launches herself towards it, awkwardly tackling her girlfriend in the confined space. Catra winks as she straddles Adora and takes a small, indulgent bite of the fry. But before she can finish Adora drops to a lower level, sliding right out from under her, attempting to land safely on the net.

It would have worked fine when they were six years old. Now, Adora breaks the net on contact, landing unceremoniously on the ground beneath the playplace.

“Adora!” Catra cries, quickly coming beside her. “Are you okay?”

Adora winces in pain. “Hurts.”

“Oh, I’m sorry—”

“I have only one last wish.”

“ _Huh?_ ”

“One final request.”

“Shit, Adora, are you—”

“A single fry,” Adora says, her voice steady and amused. Catra blinks twice as Adora sits up, completely unharmed.

She blushes and scowls as she passes over the prize, which Adora devours in one bite.

“I love you,” Catra says quietly, quickly, for the first time since they were young children.

Still chewing, Adora widens her eyes. “Really?”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, dumbass.”

Adora swallows loudly and grins, wrapping strong arms around her girl. “You're such a hypocrite," she teases, "but I love you too." 


End file.
